Fire
by thatACDCchick
Summary: Sequel to Kiss.
1. Chapter 1

**Part 1**

_Fire circled around him causing his skin to tingle and the hairs on his arms to stand on end. Why did it feel so hot? Ever since Mikoto-san gave him the power over fire, he hardly ever noticed the heat. Usually he just felt the slight tickle as if he were rolling in feathers. But now… it hurt. Fuck it hurt. Make it stop. Someone please make it stop._

Misaki shot up from the dream and into reality. Cold sweat trickled down his back and he looked down at his body to make sure the painful flames were gone. Nightmare… it was just a nightmare…. With a sigh he flopped back onto his pillow and stared up at the cobwebbed ceiling of his room. Somewhere in the distance he could hear the others snoring and he was glad for once to not be the only member of the gang technically without a home.

Minutes passed and the nightmare faded away from his memory like water dripping through his fingers. Sleep claimed him once more and he slept soundly and dreamlessly until morning filtered in through the dusty curtains and Kusanagi burst into his room shouting at him to get out of bed.

He mumbled and grumbled his way into the shower and then down to the bar where he ate breakfast silently. Even though he didn't remember the nightmare about the painful fire, waking from it in the dead of night left him feeling drained and exhausted. When his plate was empty and cleaned, he finally grabbed his board and aluminum baseball bat before heading out the door but Kusanagi stopped him.

"Where do you think you're off to, Yata-chan?"

"To meet up with Otome," he mumbled feeling confused. It was the same thing he did every day for the past month and a half.

Kusanagi shook his head and leaned against the bar seriously. "The boss wants to meet with all of us later. It's about Totsuka-san."

Misaki's heart skipped a beat for two reasons. One was because of the memory of what had happened to the most passive member of Homura, Tatara Totsuka. The other was because the boss was calling a meeting. That rarely ever happened.

"I'll be back in time, don't worry," he promised stepping out the door before Kusanagi could stop him once more.


	2. Chapter 2

_A/N: Sorry that these few chapters are a bit short. ;-; It's a bit tough to think of stuff to add to the parts to make them longer at the moment. ;-;_

**Part 2**

Misaki sat on a low wall with his skateboard across his lap and his bat sitting beside him at the ready. He was outside the university Otome attended waiting for her last class of the day to let out. As he waited, he absentmindedly spun the wheels on his skateboard and glared at anyone who dared look his way which was becoming steadily less frequent as the days passed by. He scoffed internally in annoyance. They weren't intimidated by him anymore.

"What's wrong, Misaki-kun?" Otome asked walking up to him.

"Nothing," he lied.

"Don't you dare lie to me, Misaki Yata," she scolded pinching his nose. "I can see right through you."

"Gah! Let me go!" he gasped.

She laughed and complied moving to sit beside him on the wall where she leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Just tell me," she said.

With a sigh he finally gave in. "I just have to be back at headquarters for a meeting is all," he admitted.

"About…," her voice trailed off and he knew she was able to guess the subject of the meeting.

She was probably the only person outside of Homura who knew about what had happened to Totsuka the night of December 7th and he had made her swear to never talk about it to anyone. He knew that Mikoto-san and Kusanagi-san would roast him alive if they found out he had talked about it to her. But she had pried the information out of him when he began ditching her and not returning her calls or texts.. Embarrassingly, he might add. His sides still ached from where she had tickled him and his face burned slightly at the memory of her lips pressing to his neck.

She had kept her promise about not kissing him… mostly. Otome insisted that the promise only counted for kisses on the mouth so she got around things by only kissing him on the cheek or other places when he least expected it. She also told him that just because he gave him kisses didn't mean she considered them a couple. Just really good friends.

With a sigh, she leapt down from the wall and brushed off the back of her jeans. "So where do you wanna go before you have to leave me?" she asked.

He shrugged and followed suit not really caring where they went as long as he was out of that bar for a few hours. The atmosphere had become too depressing as of late.

"Well, we can get something to eat," she suggested. "You hungry?"

"Not really," he replied.

"Then let's go to the arcade. You need to perk up," she told him as she reached up to peck him on the cheek and wrap her arms around his neck in a hug.

_Just a friend. Just a friend. Just a friend, _he chanted silently as he wrapped one of his hands around her waist for a moment.

"Let's just go," he mumbled.


	3. Chapter 3

**Part 3**

The arcade was packed with teenage bodies forcing Misaki and Otome to hold on tight to each other lest they lose each other in the sea of sweat and cheap perfume. Finally, they found an open game machine to play instead of being jostled around and stomped on. Two people shorter than even some of the middle schoolers packed in there was probably a bad idea in hindsight. With a sigh, Otome dug a coin from her pocket and slipped it into the machine causing it to come to life before their eyes. Two slots shot open presenting them with plastic laser pistols and a holographic display lit up.

An intro swept from an aerial view of a dilapidated house in the middle of a forest, through a window and into the attic of the house. The characters on screen began talking but the background noise was too loud and they were too lazy to read the subtitles. Besides, they already knew the story behind the game. Two people wake up to find themselves locked in the attic of a house infested with all kinds of monsters from ghosts to demons and even zombies. They have the pistols which seem to get rid of mostly everything in their paths except for the giant, blue faced Oni chasing them as they fight their way from room to room and ultimately out of the house. But their victory is short lived as a bottomless pit opens dropping them down into the depths of hell.

Not many people liked it because of the ending alone, but people still slipped thousands of coins into the machines each day to try and make it to the front door. Misaki stood his ground and blasted through just about everything that crossed his field of vision on the screen. Otome, however, wasn't doing so well. The reason she didn't like the game wasn't because of the ending, it was the countless jump scares around every corner. Her shots kept missing and the monsters got closer and closer to her character.

"Breathe steadier and hold your gut in," he told her as he pulled the trigger on a zombie.

"What?" she started looking away long enough for a demon to take a chunk out of her health bar.

"Take in deep, steady breaths and hold your gut in. It'll keep you steady and you won't jump as much when you fire," he explained.

With a whimper she followed the suggestion and her aiming got slightly better. However, the advice went for naught as the Oni crept up behind Otome's character and swallowed her whole ending the game once and for all. She sighed sadly as they replaced the plastic pistols into the slots.

"Sorry, Misaki-kun. I really suck at that game," she said.

He laughed and rapped his knuckle lightly on her head. "Don't beat yourself up about it."

He didn't make out her reply as a cold finger traced down his spine.

_Fuck, _he cursed silently. _Not here. Not now._

But sure enough, there he was. With thickly framed glasses peering out from under a mess of dark hair and that hated blue uniform. Saruhiko Fushimi. The fucker just had to show up at the most inopportune time. With a grimace, Misaki grabbed Otome by the hand and began pushing his way through the crowd ignoring her protests.

Finally in the back corner he found it. The photobooth was rarely used except by groups of middle school girls or first time couples. Luckily for them it was empty so he was able to duck inside and pull her in with him where he wrapped a hand over her mouth and hold her tightly to his chest.

_What the fuck is he looking for? _Misaki wondered.

"Misaki-kun!" Otome protested from behind his hand.

"Shut up," he hissed into her ear peeking out through the gap in the curtains separating them from the crowd. Where was he now?

Otome wriggled in his grasp trying to break free but he held her tighter using the skateboard to practically crush her into him. She was beginning to get scared as he had her in his lap now and heat radiated through him. Not a good kind of heat, either. The kind of heat she knew gave rise to actual fire.

Finally she pried her hand away from her face to whisper at him angrily. "What the fuck is the matter with you, Mi-chan?"

He ignored her calling him by that nickname he despised and instead continued to look out for Fushimi. "There's someone out there I don't want to confront right now. At least not with you in the crossfire."

"Who is it?" she asked.

"I'd rather not say," he mumbled.

"Then let's get the fuck out of here! We can slip out through the crowd!" she suggested a little too loudly for his liking. "There's no way he or she would be able to spot us!"

Shit. There he was. Heading right for them. Otome was making way too much noise and he knew it was only a matter of time before Fushimi found them. The crazy fucker probably wouldn't even care about starting a fight in the middle of a crowded arcade. As long as he got to the object of his obsession and cut through anyone in his way. That meant Otome….

He cursed silently for the hundredth time in the past five minutes. There was only one way to shut her up until Fushimi moved away. Thinking fast and clenching his eyes shut, he brought his lips down to hers which was open and still trying to convince him they should just run. He felt a shiver run through her as he gripped the back of her head and she clutched the front of his shirt.

Still kissing her, his eyes flew open to scan the crowd through the curtains once more. Fushimi was still there with his hand on his saber as he peered over the heads of the crowd. If he turned and saw them in the photobooth, they were dead meat Misaki realized. Finally he broke free from the kiss and pulled her through the other side of the booth and into the crowd. For once she was completely silent as they wove their way through the bodies.

As they slipped out of the entrance and lost themselves in the sea of people outside, Fushimi finally laid eyes on the photobooth. He lifted the curtain away only to find it empty. But when he heard the machine purr and shoot out a slip of paper into a little plastic tray, he smiled. Someone's foot, whether it be Misaki or Otome's, had hit the button to turn the machine on and had captured their embrace perfectly on glossy, white paper.

"Found you," he sighed tracing his finger down the miniaturized depiction of Misaki's head.


	4. Chapter 4

_A/N: This chapter is somewhat fill of my own headcanons. I don't know how much of it will turn out to be true in the anime/manga, but for now..._

**Part 4**

"Wow, so this is what it looks like inside here," Otome said looking around in wonder.

"Shut up," he hissed jerking her forward. "I need to hide you so no one knows you're here. That means that talking and alerting everyone would make all this pointless!"

"Oh…," she whispered and nodded.

Misaki knew he had to protect her. He couldn't leave her out there for Fushimi to find. The safest place he knew was Homura. But there was a big problem with that. Only gang members were allowed inside. So if they were caught, God only knows what would happen. They ducked into a shadow and listened closely for any voices or footsteps.

Somewhere in the distance, they heard Kusanagi talking above other voices. Apparently the meeting was in full effect already. That only made things worse for him. Bringing an outsider back to HQ as well as missing the meeting. Mikoto was definitely going to have his head on a platter before the day was out.

"Misaki-kun…. Misakiiiiii," Otome whined.

"What?" he snapped. "I thought I said to be quiet or they'll-."

"But I have to go to the bathroom." She glared at him as she hopped in place.

Misaki grunted. "Shit. Just… can you hold it until you get to my room? Once I'm sure everyone is at the meeting, I'll text you and you can go to the bathroom," he told her. _"Quietly," _he added.

"Okay, just hurry," she whispered urgently.

They crept quietly passed the ajar door leading into the meeting room and Misaki peered in too see everyone sitting and horsing around as Kusanagi tried to get their attention to no avail. Unfortunately, Kusanagi spotted Misaki and pushed through the clan to reach the door. Misaki jumped back and looked around for a place to hide. He spotted a closet and made a break for it.

"Go in there and don't come out!" he ordered in a hushed voice as he shoved Otome inside and slammed the door shut.

"What's going on, Yata-chan?" Kusanagi asked from behind Misaki.

"N-n-nothing!" he lied.

"I thought I saw someone with you," the older man said looking pointedly at the closet door.

"N-no! I was… I was just going to put my board away in my room before coming down to the meeting!" he replied.

"Well forget it, you're late enough as it is and Mikoto is getting impatient," Kusanagi ordered pulling the younger man along by the collar.

Inside the closet, Otome huddled on the floor trying to not think about the bathroom. But of course, she ended up thinking about the bathroom. By the time the meeting was over, she was shivering and shaking from the effort of holding it in. Misaki couldn't retrieve her until everyone had left the area.

"Otome… are you alright?" he whispered at the door.

"Get me out of here, Misaki-kun," she whimpered through clenched teeth.

/

"So what was that meeting about, anyways?" she asked him once she had relieved herself and they were sitting in his room.

"Mikoto-san just wanted an update about our investigation," he replied as he dashed around his room shoving loose objects into drawers and under his bed.

It hadn't hit him that she was going to actually be in his room until she was in his room. He turned back from pushing the overflowing closet door shut to see her sitting on his bed examining his music player. Feeling his eyes on her, she looked up at him and grinned briefly.

"So are you gonna tell me who that guy in the arcade was?" she asked.

Misaki sighed as he walked over and pried his music player from her fingers.

"Don't you sigh at me," she scolded. "It'll be a lot easier to know. That guy looked like someone from the government so no doubt he had ways to figure out where you went and who you were with."

He started. "Shit," he cursed quietly. The thought hadn't occurred to him that Fushimi would use his status in SCEPTER4 to find shit like that out.

"So?" she pried. "Who was he?"

"An old friend. We joined Homura together," he explained. "But then… something happened and he left to join SCEPTER4. So in the end, he's a fucking traitor."

"Does the 'fucking traitor' have a name?" she asked holding up finger quotes.

"Saruhiko Fushimi," he told her reluctantly.

"These SCEPTER4 people… are they… like you?"

"…. Kind of. They have powers… but not the same kind as us in Homura," he replied.

A knock on the door dropped the conversation dead in its tracks.

"Yata-chan? Who are you talking to?"

It was Kusanagi. Of course it was Kusanagi. He had suspected something of Misaki the minute he walked by the meeting room.

"N-no one! I'm just watching something!" he lied hurriedly. He glared at Otome and held a finger up to his lips.

"Huh… I could have sworn…," his voice faded to be replaced by the sound of him jiggling the door handle. "Why is this door locked?"

"I-I-I was changing!" Misaki exclaimed.

"Open up, right now, Yata-chan!" Kusanagi ordered banging on the door.

In a panic, he grabbed Otome by the wrist and pushed her down underneath his bed.

"Stay quiet," he hissed.

Otome nodded holding her nose against the dust.

At the door she watched a man with blond hair wearing purple-tinted sunglasses walk in and examine the room. So this was the feared Izumo Kusanagi. The Red King's second-in-command. He didn't look as intimidating as Misaki had described him to be.

"Where you… cleaning, Yata-chan?" Kusanagi asked.

"Y-yeah, it was kind of a mess and… and I was tired of looking at it," he tried.

"Hm…." Kusanagi looked at the bed and for a moment, Otome was sure that the jig was up. With a shrug, the man turned and sat on the bed. Directly on top of where Otome was laying underneath. "I want to know why you were late for the meeting when you said you'd be on time."

"I…." Misaki's eyes wandered down to the space underneath the bed where Otome was pressing a hand to her mouth to keep from crying out at the weight on top of her. The guy was skinnier than a rail, why the fuck did he weigh this much? "I ran into Fushimi and had to get away from him. It delayed me getting here."

"I see… and your friends? Otome? What of her?"

"That was the delay," he explained. "I had to get her away from that asshole and make sure she was safe."

"Ah… so _she _delayed you, not Fushimi," Kusanagi said wryly.

"No!" he cried out angrily. "I mean… no, Kusanagi-san. It was Fushimi's fault. Not Otome's."

Kusanagi smirked and stood allowing Otome to finally breathe easily.

"Dinner will be ready soon, if you're interested," he said as he made to leave the room.

Unfortunately, although Kusanagi standing had allowed Otome to breathe, it had also kicked up more dust which flew up her nose and into her mouth as she moved her hand away to take in a deep breath. This caused her to sneeze very loudly just as Kusanagi had reached the threshold.

"Oh?" He turned and looked at the bed.

In a flash he was back across the room pulling the girl out from her hidey hole and holding her up by her wrists which he held in one hand.

"What… do we have… here, Yata-chan?" he asked slowly.

"Um…. Good evening?" she greeted shakily with a nervous smile.


	5. Chapter 5

_A/N: Once again, lots of personal headcanons in the chapter. Especially with Fushimi and his motives._

**Part 5**

Fushimi sat at his appointed laptop typing away furiously at the keyboard. He had scanned the photos into the system and was now working on identifying the girl in them. With Misaki. Fushimi grimaced as a stab of pain shot through his shoulder directly where the still fading tattoo marred his skin. How long had it been since he received the mark? That didn't matter, though. All that mattered was finding Misaki and this girl he's been seeing. Then Fushimi could… do what exactly…?

His temple throbbed painfully and he clutched his head while staring blankly at the screen. Faces were flashing by of students from all over the city. If that girl was registered at any school from grade school to college, he would find her. But what would he do once he found her? Kill her? No… he couldn't… surely he couldn't let that happen.

_"But why not?" _whispered a cold voice in the back of his mind. _"She's in the way. She's luring Misaki-kun away and seducing him. Soon he'll forget you. Forget his hate. We can't let that happen."_

"No… we can't," he agreed quietly glaring at the screen through his fingers.

The screen froze suddenly on the image of a girl from the local university. Pinpoints lit up on her face and matched up to the clearest shot of her in the photobooth. It was an 84.9% matchup. Fushimi lowered his hand and smiled. Soon. Soon Misaki-kun would be his and no one would stand in his way. He sent the information to his phone and rushed out of the command center not caring about the stares he received from his fellow clansmen.

/

"So… you brought an outsider into our home… and a girl nonetheless," Kusanagi said slowly lighting a cigarette.

"For her protection!" Misaki protested. "He was after us and I couldn't leave her out there for him to find!"

"That's not our problem," Kusanagi countered.

"Like hell it is!" Flames threatened to erupt from Misaki's body.

"Um… I'm guessing I get no say in this," Otome said quietly from behind Misaki's back.

Kusanagi glared at the girl and she shrunk back even further. Okay. So he was _exactly _as intimidating as Misaki had described him to be. Just then, the door opened and the Red King of Homura himself walked in with a little girl with long, white hair in tow. With shaking hands, Otome clutched onto Misaki's shoulders and prayed to the heavens that the King wouldn't see her. To her great surprise, she felt Misaki grab one of her hands and grip it tightly for reassurance.

"What seems to be the problem, Izumo?" the King asked taking a seat while the girl skipped over to a low table where she pulled out four red, glass marbles from her pocket and rolled them along the table's surface.

Kusanagi explained how he had suspected Misaki of being up to something so he went to check on him in his room after the meeting only to find Otome hiding under the bed. Once the explanation was over and Kusanagi had lit his third cigarette and the King his first, they looked from Misaki to Otome still trying not to be seen.

"Do you know who I am?" the Red King asked after a pause.

"Sort of," Otome mumbled taken aback.

"Speak up, dear, I can't hear you," the King ordered.

"S-sort of," she said a little louder.

"Then who am I?"

Otome froze for a second in surprise. "Y-you're Mi-chan's boss. The leader of Homura… of the Red Clan…."

Misaki turned and glared at her. "Don't call me 'Mi-chan' in front of the Boss! Or ever for that matter!" he hissed.

"Sorry," she mumbled automatically as she looked away from the dancing light in the King's eyes.

Misaki turned back towards his boss and tried to reason. "Mikoto-san, listen. One of the SCEPTER4 members was after us and I couldn't let him get to her. She honestly doesn't know that much about us, but it wouldn't matter to them, would it? They would still try to get information out of her in any way possible."

"She knows _enough_ about us," Kusanagi pointed out taking a drag from his cigarette. "We can't let her leave, now."

"But I have class in the morning," she mumbled dejectedly.

"You should have thought of that before coming here!" Kusanagi snapped angrily causing her to jump.

Mikoto, however, laughed quietly at the exchange. "You want to protect her that much?"

Misaki paused for a moment. "Yes. Yes I do, sir."

"So be it. But if she gets captured and leaks information to them about us, it's on you," Mikoto explained in a serious tone.

"I understand," he replied immediately.

"She still can't leave here, though," Kusanagi pointed out. "They've probably already identified her so it isn't safe."

"B-but, my parents! What about them?" she burst out finally taking a step out from behind Misaki.

"Where do your parents live?" Mikoto asked.

"The Gōman'Na Taido District," she replied immediately.

Mikoto nodded and sighed. "Anna, which of the men are in that area?"

The girl with white hair looked up from her marbles Otome saw where now spinning in perfect circles atop a map of the city.

"Akagi-san and Bando-san," she replied in a soft voice.

"Right… have them keep a look out for anyone from SCEPTER4 scouting the area and tell them to report anything suspicious," he told Kusanagi.

"Mikoto… are you sure?" he asked.

The King looked at Otome for a few more seconds before closing his eyes and nodding slowly.

"Th-thank you very much!" Otome cried out bowing. "Oi, he's your boss, you bow, too," she ordered Misaki pulling him down by the front of his shirt.

Mikoto laughed softly and dismissed them.

"I'll ask again now that they're gone," Kusanagi said seriously. "Mikoto… are you sure about this?"

Mikoto, however, didn't answer his second-in-command.


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6**

"Ahh, so _you're_ Yata-san's girlfriend," Kousuke Fujishima said with a smile as she sat at a table waiting for Misaki to return from the kitchen.

"Um… not really," she replied nervously.

"But you're so cute! You have to be!" he pressed on much to Otome's embarrassment. "How old are you, anyway?"

"Nineteen," she said trying to back away but to no avail.

"Wow, so you're the same age as Yata-san," Yo Chitose commented.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Oi, leave her alone," Misaki grumbled stepping around Chitose to place a plate of fried rice in front of Otome.

"Whoa! He actually made his famous fried rice? Why don't we ever get any?" Fujishima asked.

"Because you're annoying assholes," he growled with a vein pulsing in his temple. "Now leave."

Grumbling, the pair complied. With a sigh, he sat down beside Otome.

"Thanks for that, Mi-chan," she said gratefully.

"I said-," he started to growl but stopped. "You know what? Fuck it. You do whatever the hell you want no matter what I have to say."

"Only because you make that cute face when I don't listen," she laughed. "But anyways, thanks for the food." She picked up her spoon and dug in. "Holy cow, this is good!" she exclaimed around the first mouthful.

Misaki scoffed. "Of course it is."

"You're just full of surprises, aren't you?" she smiled.

He grunted as he leaned his head on his hand and looked over at the small gathering that seemed to be happening in one corner of the bar. It seemed that just about everyone who wasn't out on assignment was sitting there with their heads together as they observed Misaki and Otome. What the fuck was up with them? What did it matter that he was sitting with Otome?

"So where am I sleeping tonight?" Otome asked.

"My room," he replied without thinking.

Otome choked on her rice and had to take a few gulps of water to recover.

"You alright?" he asked worriedly.

"Y-yeah… uh… I'm fine," she replied looking down at her plate with a red face. "I- uhh… I need to get some homework done for tomorrow so…."

"R-right, here, I'll take that for you," he said taking the plate away.

Everyone's eyes followed them as he led her back to his room but he refused to acknowledge them and she was too embarrassed to look.

_Geez, are we back in high school or something? _Misaki wondered.

"Shit," Otome cursed suddenly.

"What's wrong?"

"I don't have anything to change into…," she muttered.

Misaki blinked at her at a loss for words.

"I-I guess I'll manage…," she went on to say. "As long as I can go to my place in the morning and get some stuff. I mean… if I'm gonna be here when I'm not in school, I need some things from home…."

"R-right… I'll talk to Kusanagi-san about it," he promised.

"Thanks again, Misaki-kun… for helping me and everything," she said when they were back in his room.

"It's nothing, really," he replied as he walked over the closet to attempt to dig out a sleeping bag he was sure was in there. When everything he had shoved in there earlier spilled out over the floor, he groaned.

Otome laughed as she sat on his bed pulling out her homework that needed to be completed.

"What are you still going to school for, anyways, Otome?" he asked picking up an old pair of shorts and giving them a sniff.

"Writing," she replied as she booted up her laptop and opened the right files.

Misaki winced at the smell of the shorts and dropped them on the floor, again. "Writing, huh? Sounds boring to me."

Otome laughed. "It's really not. Coming up with all these great places and characters and bringing it all to life with words. I love it."

"Ha! Found it!" he cried out victoriously holding up a bright red sleeping bag. This, too, he gave a whiff and grimaced at the scent that met his nose. "Ugh, smells a little bit…."

"I'm sure I won't mind the smell," she replied absentmindedly as she clicked through internet pages for research.

"What are you talking about? I'm sleeping in this. You're taking the bed," he told her with a raised brow. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing… nothing at all," she shook her head with red coloring her cheeks.

He shoved what he could back into the closet and then laid the sleeping bag out on the floor alongside a spare pillow he had dug out from the mess then sat on the bed beside Otome as she typed away.

"_Classical vs. Operant Conditioning," _he read aloud from the title of her paper. "What the fuck does that mean?"

"It's psychology. It's basically about teaching people or animals different behaviors using different conditioning methods," she explained.

"Why the hell are you taking psychology when you're studying to be a writer?" he inquired.

"Because of the 'why,'" she replied.

"The 'why?'"

"The 'why.'"

"What's the 'why?'"

"The reasoning behind everything," she shrugged. "Why people do something. Why they act a certain way. It's how I write. I want to know 'why' so that I can better the story."

"You lost me," he mumbled.

Otome giggled. "It's fine, I don't really expect many people to understand," she replied. With a sigh she leaned her head onto his shoulder and closed her eyes contentedly.

Misaki's heart skipped a beat. She was much too close and they were much too alone. If there were ever a time for one of the guys to come prying, now would be it. Heat was radiating down the side she was pressed against and it was throwing off his thoughts. That and the way her hair was tickling his neck. Thinking back to that kiss in the photobooth, the first thing that came to his mind was how soft her hair had felt when he wrapped his fingers in it.

"O-Otome…," he murmured. She only grunted softly in reply. "Y-you should go to bed if you're t-tired…." Once more she grunted softly but made no move to sit up so that he could get out of her way.

She shifted slightly causing her laptop to slide off her lap but Misaki caught it and closed it before setting it aside. His arm was behind her now and the temptation to wrap it around her was too great to not give in to. This infuriating girl who he cursed out and protected daily… who was she to him, exactly? Still just a friend?

Shifting on the bed, he moved so that he could lay her on the pillow and cover her with the blanket. His pillow. His blanket. That was the reason behind her reaction…. He brushed the hair from her forehead then leaned down and pressed his lips to the soft skin there.

"Good night, Otome," he whispered before turning out the light and curling up in the sleeping bag on the floor.


	7. Chapter 7

**Part 7**

_It burned. He had forgotten exactly what it felt like for something to burn. The feeling of his flesh blistering. The scent of his hair singeing. The sound of the flames roaring around him. The smoke choked his lungs preventing him from calling out. Yet still his mouth was open in a silent scream for help. But no one came. No one ever came._

"Misaki-kun! Misaki-kun! Mi-chan, wake up!" someone was shouting.

A hand slapped his face bringing him back to reality. His eyes flew open and he shot straight up scaring the living daylights out of Otome. She fell back with a thump as Misaki looked around making sure there was no fire to hurt him. With a sigh, he realized that he was safe.

"Mi-chan… what happened?" Otome asked shakily.

"Nothing," he told her tiredly.

"Don't lie to me!" she demanded with tears in her voice. "What the hell were you dreaming of that made you thrash around like that?"

Was this just her asking 'why' for her own personal satisfaction? Should he tell her that he was becoming terrified of his own element?

"Misaki Yata!" she barked. "Answer me!"

He looked at her long and hard. At the concern in her eyes. Not curiosity. Concern.

"Fire…," he finally answered.

"I don't understand…," her voice faded away.

"I dreamt that I was being burned alive. I know. It's weird. It doesn't make any sense. It-."

He was broken off by her wrapping her arms around him. It completely threw him off for the last person to comfort him after a nightmare had been….

"Don't worry, Mi-chan… I promise it'll be alright," she whispered.

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just can be." She pulled back and winked at him. "We're friends. We help each other out. Ergo, everything will be alright."

"Friends," he mumbled looking away.

"What's wrong, now?"

"Nothing…."

"Liar," she sang tapping his nose. "Now c'mon, up here." She pulled him to his feet and over to the bed.

"Huh? What for?" he asked blushing furiously.

"Because you're on the ground and heat rises," she explained trying to hide her own blush by picking up the sleeping bag and shaking it out.

"I don't get it."

"It's been proven that the colder you are, the more likely it is you're going to have bad dreams," she said smoothing the sleeping bag out on the bed. "It's not like we're gonna cuddle, Mi-chan. I'll take the blanket, you get the sleeping bag. Deal?"

Misaki paused and thought for a moment. Before he could answer, however, she leapt into bed pulling him down with her.

"Get in here, already. I'm tired and cold," she grumbled.

"R-right…." He turned over so that his back was to her. "G-good night, Otome."

She leaned over and kissed him on the cheek. "Good night, Mi-chan."

/

"Mi-chan… Mi-channnnn," her voice drifted through his dreams bringing him back to reality. She was hovering over him poking him in the face.

"Five more minutes," he begged sleepily swatting her hand away.

"C'mon, Mi-chan. You have to take me home," she said poking him again. This time it was in the side where she knew he was the most ticklish.

"Stop it!" he shouted grabbing her hand and shooting up to glare at her.

"Morning sleepy head," she smiled kissing him on the forehead.

"Stop doing that," he said rubbing at his forehead.

She giggled at him. "Stop making cute faces when I do it," she said wryly. "But anyways… you have to take me home so I can get some of my things and take a shower before class."

"Take a shower here," he replied with a raised brow.

Her face burned red hot. "No way! Especially when I don't have anything to change into!"

"What? You don't have any gym clothes? Too bad it's cold. I bet they're really small shorts," he laughed maliciously causing her to blush even deeper. Good. Let her squirm a little bit as payback for all the times she made him squirm.

With a twitching eye, she backed away from him then reached down and grasped the edge of the red sleeping bag he was wrapped still in.

"What are you-?"

She answered him by yanking hard with more strength than he thought possible of her. He fell out of the bed and onto the floor with a painful thud.

"Rise and shine, asshole!" she shouted waving the sleeping bag in his face.

"Otome! Otome, quit it!" he cried out trying to grab the bag.

She only kept on waving the sleeping bag over him repeating, "Rise and shine! Rise and shine!"

"Fine! I'll get up! I'm up!" he roared leaping to his feet.

Otome dropped the bag and smiled. "Good. Now get dressed, I have to be at school by ten o'clock and it's already eight-thirty." Then she left the room to allow him to dress in peace.

He glared after her even after the door was closed. "Crazy chick," he scoffed angrily.

How he ever became friends with her was beyond him. But now, through thick and thin, he guessed he was stuck with her. As much as she pissed him off, he didn't regret saving her from those thugs all those weeks ago. And he _definitely _didn't regret saving her from that psychopath Fushimi. But would they ever move beyond this little game they played? Teasing each other incessantly and pissing each other off?

_At least it's never boring, _he reasoned as he laced up his shoes. With a sigh, he wrapped his wireless headphones around his neck and jammed his beanie down over his hair.

Maybe one day they would stop running around in circles….

With a scoff he grabbed his skateboard and bat.

_Yeah right._


	8. Chapter 8

**Part 8**

"I'm home!" Otome called out as she slipped out of her shoes in the entryway.

"Is anyone even home?" Misaki asked looking around. It was only his third time being inside and he still felt daunted by the size of everything.

"I doubt it," she admitted as she sat her book bag down and headed for the stairs. "My parents should be gone for work by now and the cleaners don't show up until eleven."

"Cleaners," he mumbled following her deeper inside.

"I'm going to take a quick shower. Go ahead and help yourself to whatever's in the kitchen, okay?" she told him as she began climbing the steps to her room.

"Okay," he muttered trying to remember the way to the kitchen.

"Down the hall to the left!" she called reminding him of its location.

"I know!" he lied.

Outside, Bandou and Akagi were making rounds around the block. Every once in a while they would send a message letting him and Kusanagi know that there wasn't anyone suspicious around. Meanwhile, Kusanagi was sitting in the van no doubt fuming about being put on babysitting duty by Mikoto. Once he was finished poking around the kitchen, Misaki made his way up to her room where he found her drying her hair and still wrapped in a towel.

"Dammit! Why aren't you dressed?!" he cried out pulling his hat down over his eyes.

"Because it's my room!" she fumed. "Just give me a second, okay?"

He heard her open and close a few drawers then listened to the sound of clothes rustling as she put them on.

"You can open your eyes, now," she said.

When he did, he was greeted with the image of her wearing a loose tank top and shorts that stopped mid-thigh. Not ideal, but it was better than her in nothing but a towel, he guessed.

"Are the guys doing alright outside?" she asked as she resumed brushing through her hair.

"They're fine, I'm sure," he mumbled going over to sit in the chair at her desk.

She laughed as she picked up the hair dryer and turned it on. While she concentrated on her hair, he took the time to look around her room. Of the times he had been in her house, this was the first time he was granted access to her bedroom. Usually they would sit in the not-so-little game room in the basement. After her parents had gotten over the shock of their daughter being friends with a juvenile delinquent, they were surprisingly nice to him. Maybe it had something to do with Otome pulling them aside to explain things to them when she first showed up dragging him through the door with her.

Admittedly, it probably wasn't the best first impression on them to show up covered in dirt and various scrapes after having gotten into yet another fight after a guy had cupped Otome's ass in a bookstore. He sighed and gazed over at the towering wall over books with a small alcove cut into the center for her to curl up in. How many of those had she actually read? There was probably hundreds upon hundreds of books there.

"One thousand, three hundred and seventy-two," she said answering his silent question. "And no, I haven't read them all. Only about seventy-something percent of them."

"Why so many?" he wondered.

She only shrugged and she brushed through her hair one last time and turned off the hairdryer. At her closet, she pulled out a shirt and pulled it over her head and she smirked at him when she caught him staring.

"Like what you see, Mi-chan?" she asked.

"N-n-not really," he lied.

"Ouch, that hurt my feelings," she giggled and walked over to him. "You're going to have to pay for that one."

"Wh-what do you mean?!" he cried out as she placed her hands on his shoulders and pushed him further down into the chair.

She shushed him and pressed a finger to his lips. "Don't worry, I'll keep my promise. No kissing on the lips. But still…," her voice faded away as she straddled his hips. "There are loopholes that I love to exploit."

"Please don't," he begged shakily.

"Do you really want me to stop?" she questioned softly into his ear.

When he didn't respond, she chuckled softly and pressed her lips to his neck. He gripped the armrests of the chair tightly as her tongue traced up to his jawline. When she reached his ear and her teeth nipped at the lobe, he lost it. He grabbed her face in his hands and brought her mouth to his. She let out a muffled cry of surprise before giving in to sensation. He caught her bottom lip in his teeth and bit down causing her to gasp. In turn, Otome slid her tongue over his which made him tighten his grip on her hair.

It seemed to be a desperate battle to make the other squirm more and more but it was cut short by Misaki's cell phone ringing loudly in his pocket.

"Oh, thank God," he gasped pulling away.

Breathing hard, Otome listened to him talking to either Bandou or Akagi, she couldn't tell which. She could hear the various catches in his voice as he talked and how he had to clear his throat every once in a while before he could actually get a sentence across. She couldn't help but smile to herself. Finally he had responded to her. Back in the photobooth a small ray of hope had sparked in her that finally he was starting to like her back. As bleak as that hope may be, she still held onto it for dear life.

"Otome… Otome… do you mind getting off of me?" Misaki asked breaking through her reverie.

"Oh, right… sorry," she replied leaping back.

He sighed and leaned forward. "They say that everything's looking clear. You might want to finish getting dressed if you want to make it to class in time."

"I don't mind being a little late," she muttered.

"Otome…," he groaned. "I thought we had a deal."

She turned away and rummaged through her dresser for a pair of jeans. "Whatever," she mumbled dejectedly.


	9. Chapter 9

**Part 9**

They were leaving her room when they heard the crashing.

"Where's that coming from?" Misaki asked leaning over the railing.

"I think it's the kitchen," Otome whispered with fear coloring her voice.

He quickly dialed Kusanagi and asked if Bandou or Akagi had come inside without telling him. When he hung up, he had a mixture of rage and fear on his face.

"What's wrong? Who the hell is it?" Otome asked anxiously.

"C'mon, back upstairs. We'll find another way out," Misaki said grabbing her by the wrist and running.

They ended up in one of the guest bedrooms where Misaki locked the door then pushed the dresser against the door for good measure.

"Are you _sure _the cleaners don't come until eleven?" he asked with sweat beading on his brow.

Otome nodded numbly. "You don't… you don't think…." She swallowed hard. "You don't think it's that guy you told me about. Saruhiko Fushimi?"

Misaki grunted as he walked over to one of the windows and peeked out through the curtains. "I hope not." He backed away from the window and looked around the room. "Is there any other way we can get out of here besides the front and back doors?"'

"Um… my dad's study… there's a balcony with a trellis leading down into the backyard… but it's on the opposite side of the house," she replied shakily.

"Oi, oi, pull it together, Otome," he ordered gripping her shoulders. "I'll get you out of here, don't worry. Even if we can't get out of the house, the guys will show up and help us. They might even be able to scare the guy off."

"Maybe… maybe it's just a burglar?" she asked hopefully. "That's happened to us before."

"Anything's possible," he said soothingly.

A knock came from the door breaking the moment between them.

"Are you in there… Misaki-kun?" a cold voice asked.

"Bastard," Misaki growled.

"That's him, isn't it?" Otome breathed.

Misaki rushed over to the window and threw it open. "Damn! We can't climb down," he cursed when he stuck his head out.

"Yata-san!" came Bandou's voice from below.

"We could use your help, you know!" Misaki called down.

"How do we get inside?!" Akagi asked banging on the front door.

"There's a spare key under the gnome beside the rose bush!" he replied. "Hurry!"

"How did you know where the spare key was, Mi-chan?" Otome asked suddenly curious.

"Um… I kind of found it by accident?" he tried.

Just then, the sound of a blade on wood met their ears and Fushimi's dark eye appeared through the gash. "Found you, Misaki-kun!" he sang happily.

"Okay, let's worry about the spare key later," Otome suggested.

"Right," he agreed as Fushimi continued to hack away at the door with his saber.

"The bathroom. We can lock ourselves in there and buy us some time," Otome said heading for one of the other doors in the room.

As soon as they got the bathroom door locked, Fushimi's saber sank through the wood like a hot knife through butter.

"Why do you keep running from me, Misaki-kun?" Fushimi asked as he ran the sword through the wood again and again.

"Cause you're a dirty fucking traitor!" he bellowed back. "An insane, dirty fucking traitor!"

"Your words hurt, Misaki-kun," the man whined slipping his hand through the gap in the wood trying to find the door lock.

"Don't. Talk. So. Familiarly. To. Me!" With each word he stomped on Fushimi's hand as he groped around.

He brought his foot back for another stomp, but it disappeared before he could get it.

"Damn! Where the fuck did you go?!"

"Mi-chan, wait!" she cried as he threw open the lock.

"Whatever happens to me, keep this door locked, tight, okay?" he ordered.

"Be careful," she whispered.

"You remember who you're talking to, right?"

With a smile and a nod, she watched him go. Outside in the guest bedroom, everything seemed quiet. He had left his bat in the entryway with his skateboard so instead he gripped a towel rod he had yanked from the wall in the bathroom. He pulled the covers back from the bed onto to find it empty. The space underneath the bed was bare save a few dust bunnies as was the closet which held only a few spare blankets and a box fan.

"Yata-san! Himitsu-san! Are you alright?!" Akagi called as he tried to slip through the hole Fushimi had made in the door.

"Yeah, the bastard must have heard you guys coming and ran off," he replied. "It's all clear, Otome!"

"Thank God," she said as she emerged from the bathroom.

Misaki pushed the dresser back in place and got the door unlocked. "I'll have to apologize to your parents for ruining their guest room, I guess," he commented running his hand along the edges of the hole.

"Don't worry, I'll reason with them," she promised. "Let's just get out of here before that guy comes back."

"Agreed," Misaki nodded along with the others.

She patted her pockets and cursed. "Damn, I forgot my cell phone in my room. I'll be right back."

"Hurry," he told her as she dashed away.

"Looks like we showed up in time," Bandou said leaning against the wall and folding his arms.

"Yeah, better late than never, at least," Akagi agreed.

"Where's Kusanagi-san?" Misaki asked.

"Right outside waiting. He called us as soon as you alerted him," Bandou answered.

"Tch, what the fuck is taking her so long?" Misaki muttered. "Oi! Otome! We have to go!"

He listened for her reply but when none was given, they made their way cautiously down the hall. At the door, Misaki hefted his towel rod and reached for the handle. Behind him, Akagi held a metal rod aloft while Bandou held a pistol. At least one of them had the sense to bring a firearm. Misaki threw open the door and rushed in looking to and fro for Otome.

"Where the-?" he asked just as the sound of a revving engine met his ears.

Crawling through the alcove in the bookcase, he looked out of the now opened window to see a car speeding down the road like a bat out of hell. In the driver's seat was Fushimi with a triumphant smile plastered on his face and in the passenger's seat was a bound and gagged Otome with a trickle of blood running down her face.

"Fucking bastard!" he roared leaping from the window and landing hard on the ground.

"Oi, Yata-san!" Akagi called after him but Misaki ignored him.

He leapt over the wall and took off down the road after the car only to find the street empty. He had lost him.

"Fuck!" he bellowed kicking a trash can and startling a stray cat that had been sleeping there.

"Don't worry, Yata-chan," Kusanagi said pulling up in the van. "I got the license plate number. We'll find them."

Misaki clenched his fists and grunted. "We better."


	10. Chapter 10

**Part 10**

When she first woke up, she tasted blood in her mouth. It made her gag but something was keeping her from spitting the blood out. She tried to work the thing in her mouth out but it wouldn't move.

"Ahhh, you're awake," that cold voice from before said softly from in front of her.

Her eyes flew open to find him directly in front of her. Much too close for comfort. She tried to move away but her head hit a wall causing a wave of nausea to sweep through her. Her head was already spinning. God, what hit her?

"Don't worry, I made sure that Misaki would be able to find us," the guy was saying when he saw the pained expression on her face. "After all… I want him to be able to find what I've done to you."

She let out a muffled scream as he pulled out a throwing knife that began to glow red. Misaki had told her that he used to be part of the Red Clan, but could it be possible that he still retained his powers from then? The thought terrified her almost as much as the look in his eyes. She shrunk back as he inched closer with the glowing blade in his hand until she could go no further and it touched the skin of her face sending sharp, fresh pain through her.

Her eyes watered and she whimpered softly as she felt him slice open the flesh under the blade. The heat from it instantly cauterized the wound so no blood flowed. That was the point. Head wounds bleed a lot and the one he had inflicted on her head still hadn't stopped. There wouldn't be any fun if he cut her and she bled out on him before Misaki could see his work and watch her final moments. Speaking of fun….

Fushimi reached up and untied the gag in the girl's mouth. She let out a gasp when it was finally free and glared up at him.

"What is all of this for?" she asked unable to hide the pain in her voice.

"Why… for Misaki, of course," he replied slicing through the skin of her arm as it hung above her chained to the wall.

She gritted her teeth refusing to scream.

"Ahhh, of course… how stupid of me…," he mumbled setting aside the dagger. "Being Misaki's whore, you _would _be used to the heat by now, huh? Then if that's the case…." He grinned at her and pulled the saber at his side from its sheath. "Fushimi. Ready for emergency battle," he whispered to the blade.

Sparks danced along the blade and he smiled even wider as he pressed it to her side. Otome jerked against the pain and tasted blood in her mouth.

"C'mon," he whispered poking her again. "Scream for me."

And she did.

/

"Did you find anything, yet?" Misaki snapped for the umpteenth time.

"No, but we're close," Akagi promised as he typed furiously at the keyboard. "Kusanagi-san! Take the next right!"

The van swerved violently nearly throwing Misaki from his seat. Cursing under his breath, he readjusted his hat and stared at the screen showing the picture of Fushimi driving off with Otome. The longer he looked at it, the sicker he got. Both at the smile on his former friend's face and the blood covering his… covering Otome's face.

_Focus on getting her away from that crazed monkey, Yata. The rest we can worry about later, _he scolded himself.

'Crazed Monkey.' The memory hit Misaki painfully. The two of them breaking into an old, abandoned building. When they were still friends. Before Fushimi turned into a traitor. When they had found the thugs squatting there swapping drugs and began attacking. After the carnage was over and they had escaped into one of the other buildings in the area.

Misaki had laughed as they sat against the wall catching their breaths. His skateboard had a nasty gash on it now, but that was alright. Another memory for him to look back on. He had turned to Fushimi to show him the mark and recall how they fought.

"You really are a crazed monkey, Saru," he had laughed.

Fushimi didn't reply out loud but smiled and reached a hand into his pocket and withdrew a small handful of purple pills.

"Where the-?" Misaki began.

"Swiped them as we were running," Fushimi replied picking up a couple and popping them in his mouth.

"Are you sure you should be taking that shit?" Misaki asked.

Fushimi stared ahead with a glazed look in his eyes. "You gotta try this, Misaki." He held out his hand but Misaki didn't take one.

"I'll pass, thanks," he mumbled awkwardly. "C'mon, I gotta get home. My mom's already ready to kick me out."

"Fuck what she says," Fushimi scoffed. "You gotta stay with me."

Misaki paused for a moment but then stood and picked up his board. "Sorry, but no. I'll see you around, Saru."

In the present, Kusanagi rounded another sharp corner as Akagi shouted out directions. Twice they had to turn around and take another street, but soon enough, they found it. The car Fushimi had taken her in. without a word to the others, Misaki snatched up his board and bat and leapt from the van. He could hear the others shouting at him but their words didn't push past the rage roaring in his ears.

_Hold on, Otome, _he said silently. _I'm coming._


	11. Chapter 11

**Part 11**

He could hear her screaming as soon as he entered the building. He looked up and saw a cone of light above him. Fushimi's silhouette moved over the shadow of a figure that appeared to be huddled in a corner with chains on it arms. He watched Fushimi raise his saber once more and bring it down on the figure causing a blood curdling scream to pierce the air.

"Otome!" Misaki roared.

"Ahhhhhh," he heard Fushimi sigh and look over the edge of the broken floor and down at Misaki. "Come on up and join the fun, Misaki."

A cold shiver ran down his spine at the way Fushimi pronounced his name. He headed for the broken stairs winding up to the floor they were on. He had abandoned his board at the bottom and was now gripping his bat with white knuckles. Running up the stairs, he felt kind of like some video game character running to save the princess from the dragon. The thought caused him to let out a breathless bark of laughter and he hoped he wasn't turning into something like Fushimi.

At the top, he found Fushimi crouching in front of Otome as she jerked around under whatever he had in his hand. Bile rose in his throat and the next few moments became a blur. He felt the bat hitting Fushimi in the head with a sickening thud. He heard the grunt his former friend let out before falling to the side. The next thing he knew, he was unhooking the chains around Otome's wrists and pulling her free.

"It's alright. I'll get you out of here," he was telling her.

"Mi… chan…," she moaned.

"Otome." He wrapped his red hoodie around her and held her close.

"You… you came…," she breathed.

"Of course I did, dumbass," he laughed. "We're friends. We help each other out."

She sighed and closed her eyes. For a horrible moment, he thought that her breathing had stopped, but it had merely slowed as she slept. Behind him, he heard Fushimi shifting on the floor and laughing softly.

"Can you honestly love that whore?" he sneered. "Look at her face."

He did. He saw the cuts and burns now marring it. But she was still Otome. She was still his only friend outside Homura.

"What she looks like doesn't matter," he said quietly as he laid her aside and picked up his bat. Flames encircled his body as he glared at Fushimi. "The only thing that matters is that you were the one to do it."

Fushimi groaned as he stood. "What happened to the sweet, shy little Misaki I used to know? Has she really tainted you that much?"

Misaki bared his teeth and growled. "So what if I've changed?! At least it's for the better!"

"I beg to differ."

Bat and saber met with a clang that rang throughout the building. Below they could hear people shouting but the words were ignored as blue and red fought for dominance. Misaki knew that at any moment Fushimi would start using the powers he retained from his days in Homura. But unlike the fight they had before at that school… this time he was ready for it.

When he saw the red flickering in Fushimi's eyes, he brought his knee up into the traitor's gut causing him to double over. Taking the chance, he brought the bat down over Fushimi's head harder than before. He could feel all of his rage being poured into the blow. The rage of Fushimi going to the other side. At Totsuka being shot. At the guy who did it evading their every move. At every cut Fushimi had given Otome. But most of all at Fushimi abandoning him and succumbing to whatever madness infected his mind.

"Yata-san!"

He turned to see Akagi, Bandou and Kusanagi standing at the top of the steps in shock. Blood was pooling under Fushimi's head but he no longer cared. Holding the bat under his arm, he silently walked over and lifted Otome gently in his arms.

"Let's go," he ordered quietly.

At the bottom of the steps, Fushimi called out to them. "I'm not done with you, Misaki!"

Bandou aimed the pistol but a dagger shot out of nowhere and knocked it from his hand.

"Go," he told the others. "Get the van started. I'll finish this asshole off."

Reluctantly, they complied and left Misaki to finish the fight. Fushimi landed hard in front of him as he set Otome aside once more and straightened with his board in his hands. Fushimi staggered on his feet and the rapier in his hand shook. With the blood matting his dark hair and the lump forming above his eye, he looked like complete shit. But still he stood.

"You just don't know when to go down, do you, Saru?" Misaki growled.

Fushimi cackled in reply as he stumbled forward. Electricity and fire danced along his limbs and sparks kicked up behind him as he dragged the tip of his saber along the cement floor. Despite the wild and uncoordinated swings, Fushimi was still an excellent swordsman. It was no wonder how he rose so quickly through the ranks at SCEPTER4. In no time, he had Misaki pinned to the ground with nothing between him and the edge of the blade but his skateboard.

Unbeknownst to them, Otome was waking up. Despite feeling like road kill, she managed to pick up Bandou's discarded pistol. The first shot missed by a mile but it was enough to make Fushimi leap away and stare at her. One eye was swollen shut and every time she breathed in, her sides screamed but she forced her hand to hold the pistol steadily.

"Sorry but… I think it's time for you to leave, asshole," she gasped.

Recovering from the shock, he smiled at the girl. "Are you sure you can pull that trigger? You can barely stand on your feet."

She thought back to the arcade. The day this whole mess began.

_"Take in deep, steady breaths and hold your gut in. It'll keep you steady and you won't jump as much when you fire."_

Ignoring the fire in her sides, she drew in a steady breath as she took aim. As she let it out, she squeezed the trigger and watched the muzzle flash. Watched the hole appear in his shoulder. Watched him double over as the blood poured forth. He sank to the ground holding his shoulder as blood seeped through his coat and onto the cement. With horror he realized that she had hit the faded insignia that marked him a former member of Homura.

Otome collapsed to her knees and stared at the gun in her hands. It hadn't completely sunk in that she had done it. When he couldn't stand the sight any longer, Misaki turned his back on Fushimi and walked over to pull the pistol from Otome's stiff fingers and slipped it into his pocket before placing a hand on top of her head.

"You did it," he murmured to her and leaned forward to kiss her forehead.

She let out a small whimper that might have been a, "Yeah."

"Here… get on my back," he said turning and kneeling.

"Wha-?" she began asking before he grabbed her arms and pulled them around his neck.

The side of his face she could see was red in the dim light. "We better get going. Kusanagi-san called the Blues on our way over here and they'll be here any minute," he mumbled.

"Thank you… Mi-chan," she breathed leaning her head on his shoulder and closing her eyes.

"Mi…sa…ki…," Fushimi's strained voice said. "Don't… don't leave… Mi..saki."

"I've already told you," he growled down at the traitor writhing on the ground. "Don't call me by my first name like you know me." He stopped at the threshold of the building before adding, "The next time… that bullet hole won't be in a place as convenient as your shoulder."

The last thing he heard as he climbed into the van with Otome on his back was Fushimi's anguished cry.


	12. Chapter 12

**Part 12**

"Here you go, Otome," Misaki said handing her the soda can.

"Thanks, Mi-chan," she said with a smile.

He looked at her sadly before sitting next to her on the bench. It almost made the scars that now marked her face disappear. The doctors had been able to close the wounds but they weren't able to make them completely go away. Faint lines now streaked her face here and there which were virtually impossible to notice unless you knew exactly where they were.

"So have you talked to your parents?" he asked opening his can and taking a drink.

"Not since the other night," she replied nonchalantly. It didn't mask the sadness in her voice.

The destruction to the guest room had been easy to explain away. Otome had been able to spin a tale where a burglar had broken in and Misaki and his friends had driven the guy off before he made off with any valuables. The cuts all over Otome's face and body however….

They had taken one look at her and instantly blamed Misaki. Even though they forbade him from visiting her in the recovery room, that didn't stop him from sneaking in. More than once, though, security was called and he was thrown bodily from the hospital. As soon as they released her, she had packed a bag and went to Mikoto begging for sanctuary.

As long as she earned her keep, she was more than welcome, he had said. However, she wasn't officially part of the Clan so she wasn't allowed to know any more than she already knew. And of course, as per Kusanagi's orders, they weren't allowed in each other's rooms past a certain time in the evening.

At the moment they were taking a short break from lugging some of her things from her house to her new room at the bar. Slowly but surely, they were emptying her room of what she needed most. Today they had the final load of her books which were packed away in boxes and shopping bags. The ones already in her new room were piled floor to ceiling and anyone who disturbed them without her permission paid the price.

"Maybe you should try talking to them again," he suggested taking another drink.

"Are you fucking crazy? After begging Mikoto-san for that room and sneaking into my parents' house for the past week getting what we could from my old room?" she cried out. "No way. Besides… they've made their choice… and I've made mine."

She grew silent and stared off into the distance. She had that look in her eyes again. The one she had when she was alone. The only time he saw it was when she didn't notice he had entered a room. As if she had left part of her back in that building and was looking off into the horizon deciding whether or not she should go back for it. He drained the can and crushed it before tossing it in the general direction of the trash can before wrapping an arm around her.

"Hey…," he murmured to her. "Whatever makes you happiest… I'm all for."

"What makes me happy is being with you," she admitted in a whisper.

If she had said that a couple weeks ago he would have blushed and gotten angry but now….

He pulled her face to his and kissed her. Whatever she had lost in that building he had found… and he was going to give it back to her piece by piece.

**(****〜￣****︶￣)****〜 -THANKS FOR READING-****〜(********︶￣〜)**


	13. NOTES OF DOOM

**Ch. 1- **I didn't do an "end of story" note thingie for _Kiss _so I didn't get to mention this. People who have read some of my other fics (Mainly the SamCham and Beelzebub ones) have learned that I pop on over to Google translate to find random names. I just type in a word then find the right translated form of said word. So Otome= maiden, girl or virgin. Then Himitsu= secret or secrecy. So literally, Secret Girl. Then the neighborhood she lives in: Gōman'Na Taido=high horse. Yeah.

**Ch. 2- **I really hate how short those first two chapters turned out to be. ;-; But it can't be helped.

I honestly have no fucking idea what timeframe this is set in seeing as _Kiss _happened around Halloween and then I end up mentioning it's been a month and a half since then but…. Ow… my brain hurts…..

**Ch. 3- **Bit of accidental symbolism here I've come to realize. In the video game there's two characters cornered and they're chased by a blue-faced Oni. Yeah. Two plus two equals fish.

**Ch. 4- **I really like how this part with Kusanagi interrupting them turned out.

**Ch. 5- **Fushimi be cray cray, yo.

**Ch. 6- **A little look into why I love psychology. :D

**Ch. 8- **I kind of wanted to extend that little part at the end with them making out. Maybe I'll write a one-shot later. It may or may not be M rated. :3

**Ch. 9- **He "accidentally" found the spare key by walking past her place and seeing her mom use it because she locked herself out of the house.

Heeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeere's Creepy-shimi. :D

**Ch. 10- **1! 2! 3! FIRE YOUR HEADCANONS!

**Ch. 11- **This fucking fight sequence was so hard to right because I just couldn't for the life of me put it into the right words.

**Ch. 12- **Oops, I just gave myself feels. SOMEONE HELP ME I CAN'T HOLD THEM ALL ;A;


End file.
